Ukraine ready to negotiate with Russia — if it agrees to ceasefire first

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv is ready to negotiate directly with Moscow to end the war if Russia first agrees to a full ceasefire.

The offering marks a significant shift in tone. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has refused to engage in any direct talks with the Kremlin.

“If the Russians, and it depends on them, again we saw this at Easter, they can reduce strikes when they want to … If the Russians are ready for a complete ceasefire, then after a complete ceasefire is established, we are ready for any format of negotiations with them,” Zelenskyy told POLITICO at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed readiness on Tuesday to engage in a direct dialogue with Ukraine, considering Zelenskyy’s proposal to halt strikes on civilian infrastructure.  

The FT reported Tuesday evening that Putin had offered to halt his country’s invasion of Ukraine along the current front lines, perhaps relinquishing its claims on some Ukrainian regions it partially occupies, in exchange for the United States recognizing Russian ownership of Crimea (which it illegally annexed in 2014) and some territory occupied during the full-scale war that started in 2022.

The new openness comes after United States President Donald Trump threatened to walk away from negotiations to end the war if “either side” continued to block the ceasefire process. Trump also said Monday, in an all-caps post on Truth Social, that he hoped Ukraine and Russia would agree a deal this week.

Trump had previously promised to end the war between Russia and Ukraine within the first 100 days of his second presidency — by April 30.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials and European allies will meet with U.S. representatives in London to discuss a Washington-backed ceasefire plan.

“Tomorrow in London, our team has a mandate to officially discuss an unconditional ceasefire or a partial one. We are ready for this stage. We are also ready to record that we are ready to sit down at the negotiating table in any format so that there is no deadlock,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine has yet to receive an official U.S. proposal, the president said. However, various suggestions have surfaced “from different people and through different channels, including the media.”

According to media reports, the U.S. plan involves Kyiv abandoning its NATO aspirations and recognizing its occupied territories as Russian.

Kyiv has long rejected calls to compromise on its territorial integrity. Ukraine’s constitution explicitly forbids the recognition of the occupied regions as Russian.

“Discussing everything at once will only prolong [the] war and lead to U.S. fatigue and withdrawal or pressure on Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “If [a] ceasefire happens, we will believe that we have at least some result, we will see that Russia is really ready for real steps.”

Joe Stanley-Smith contributed to this report.